Great, now once you spun some, i usually travel through the first clump 2 or 3 turns until I think im close enough to the edge of the clump to pull it all back and place some thread wraps in front of the clump as to have a clean area for the next clump. Placing thread wraps in front of each clump keeps it back out of the way for the next clump of hair.
The more you practice the better you will get Mike, and soon enough it will be a really easy thing for you to do. Just remember you can learn quicker by just trying to spin and control small clumps. With the right kind of hair even small clumps will travel all the way around the hook.
From one islander to another

Hey Mike maybe one day I'll do a fly of the week to show you my method of hackling a bug, its strong unintrusive, and you only disturb the hair one time. When I started tying bugs I had no one to show me the correct way to reinforce body hackle but after about a week of breaking hackles after a few strikes from the fish I developed a neat little trick to reinforce the hackle. My hackle would break all the time cause I use to tie in the hackle at the rear and then spin the body. I still tie in the hackle at the rear and then spin the body but now my hackle never breaks or rarely does.
One bug caught me 50 "10-12 inch trout" and then went on a few days later to hook 2 salmon and land one, and it still stayed in tack.
later
Mike

[This message has been edited by Newfoundlander (edited 21 November 2005).]

[This message has been edited by Newfoundlander (edited 21 November 2005).]

[This message has been edited by Newfoundlander (edited 21 November 2005).]